The Heinkel He 162 was a simple aircraft, and the relatively small
number of kit parts reflects that simplicity. However, this does not
imply any compromise in detail. The kit includes a full BMW 003E engine,
positionable clamshell engine cowling doors, a nicely detailed cockpit,
a gun bay with poseable access panel, and wheel wells packed with
structural features. The gear legs are nicely rendered with brake lines
moulded in place. The wheels are outstanding too.

The quality of the exterior surfaces is also very good. Many of the
major parts on the He 162 were wooden. These areas, including the nose
cone, the main section of the wings and the tailplanes, are accurately
depicted smooth and featureless. Metal sections have fine panel lines
and some rivet detail. I particularly like Revell's reproduction of the
simple hinges on the He 162. The deep cannon troughs, continuing through
to separate parts for the cannon barrels inside the fuselage, are also
noteworthy.

Ejector pin marks - those raised or recessed circles usually seen in
various locations on kits - are a perennial challenge for kit
manufacturers. They are an unavoidable by-product of the injection
moulding process, but Revell has cleverly designed the kit so that the
marks will not be visible once the kit is assembled. The usual areas
that you would expect to see ejector pin marks, including the inside of
the big engine cowlings and the gear doors, are completely clean.

There are a few ejector
circles on the inside of the forward fuselage, but even these have been
located away from the moulded-on sidewall detail. The only blemishes on
the surface of the kit are some sink lines on the side of the fuselage,
but even these actually look like stressed metal effect!

Construction

Chris Wauchop has been
busy with commission builds lately, so he decided to actually build a
model for himself. He had been busting to build Revell's large-scale
Volksjager ever since it was released, so it was not surprising to hear
that he was making a start on this kit. What was more surprising was to
receive a phone call seven days later telling me that he was finished!

Chris stated the the model
was a pleasure to build. He made the following additions and changes:

The ejection seat head rest
was removed and replaced with a new part formed from plastic card and
Milliput.

Added seat harness from
lead foil for the straps and buckles from fine wire.

Rudder pedals from Eagle
Editions photo-etched parts

Hydraulic brake lines from fine
solder

Tyres each received a
subtle flat spot

DF loop was discarded and
replaced with a bent staple (from a Tamiya plastic bag!)

Canopy locking rings were
added from fine wire, with corresponding slots cut into the top of the
canopy sill.

The lower inside lip of
the windscreen was painted silver, per reference photos.

Reflector on gunsight was
replaced with thin clear sheet acetate.

Canopy locking handle was
thinned.

Pitot tube flag was cut
from Tamiya masking tape.

A very large amount of
weight was added to the nose in order to prevent the model from sitting
on its tail!

Painting and
Markings

The
model was painted using Chris's Aztek A470 airbrush fitted
with the "Fine" tan-coloured tip.

The cockpit interior was painted Tamiya XF-24 Dark Grey.
The canopy frame was painted using Tamiya XF-63 German Grey, with light
grey spots representing rivets. The canopy was then carefully brushed
with Future floor polish to create the impression that the frames were
on the inside of the plaxiglass.

Lower surfaces were painted with Gunze H417 RLM 76 Light
Blue.

Upper surfaces were painted with Gunze H423 RLM 83 Dark
Green. The rear fuselage dorsal decking was painted Flat Black, as was
the rear of the engine nacelle.

The engine intake was finished in Tamiya AS-12, Bare
Metal Silver, toned down with a thin Brown/Black mix.

Weathering was applied in Chris's usual way, spraying a
thin mix of Black and Red Brown along panel lines and in the occasional
random streak, with a thin wash completing this post-shading.

Conclusion

Revell's new 1/32 scale Heinkel He 162 is a terrific model. In this
scale, the He 162 is big enough to see the detail but small enough to
display easily. This aircraft also suggests some interesting conversion
possibilities for Luftwaffe '46 aficionados, including different tail
surfaces, wings and powerplants.

With some very nice aftermarket decals and accessories now available,
there is no excuse for Luftwaffe modelling fans not to get cracking on
their own Volksjager, whether super detailed or built straight from the
box.